Railway-crossing.



PATENTBD SEPT. 5, 1905.

E. F. MEISNER.

RAILWAY CROSSING.

APPLICATION FILED APB.4.1904.

EDlVARD F. MEISNER, OF SAN FR. \N(, ISCO, (HUJFORNIA.

RAILWAY-CROSSING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1905.

Application filed April 4, 1904. Serial No. 201,522.

over the lirst intersection on its flange. Con- Be it known that I, EDWARD F. MnisNnu, a tinning, the tread of the wheel comes graducitizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in hailway-(h'ossings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to surface crossings of railway-tracks; and my object is to construct the crossing so that the wheels shall pass over it smoothly and without the usual pounding and jarring, which wear both the wheels and the rails of the crossing. The inventive idea, generally speaking, is toemploy sections of track at the intersections upon which the wheel-flanges run, thereby raising the wheel-treads above the rails, the change from a treadbearing to a flangebearing being made gradually and without pounding 0r concussion.

An embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a plan view of my railway-crossing. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the crossing-rails, together with the bridge-plate upon which the wheel-flange runs. Fig. 3 is a cross-section through railplate and guard-rail on line .1 .v of Fig. 1.

I have shown at the lower part of Fig. l the ends of two ordinary railway-rails 1 1, indicating a main track in proximity to the crossing. Other like rails terminate at the other three sides of the crossing, the latter being a separate structure. In line with the track-rails l l are two continuous crossingrails 2 2, which are those shown in vertical lines in Fig. 1 and which are in length greater than the track-gage. Their preferred crosssection is shown in Fig. 3. They have a wide base 3, as shown, which supports the bridgeplate a and guard-rail 5, a web 6, and a head 7. At both intersections with the other crossing-rails each crossing-rail 2 is cut down through its head and web to the base, as shown at 8 in Fig. 2. The bridge-plate L, resting on the base of rail 2 and beside its web, has an upper surface formed on a long curve and which is preferably grooved, as shown at 9 in Fig. 3. \Vhen the car-wheel leaves the main track-rail, its tread first rides on the head of crossing-rail 9.; but as soon as the wheel-flange commences to bear upon the bridge-plate the tread of the wheel is gradually lifted just enough to clear the track, and the wheel rides ally back to the head of the rail 2 in'the middle of the crossing and continues upon that until at the second intersection. The wheelflange rides upon the bridgeplate there and so past the crossing. Each guard-rail projects above the horizontal plane of the adjacent bridge-plate, and the rail 2, guard-rail, and ln'idge-plate are all bolted together, as shown in Fig. 3. The bolt-holes 10 through the bridge-plates are somewhat elongated, as shown, in order to permit the vertical adjustment of said plate, and so to compensate for wear.

Describing now the track which intersects to form the crossing and which is represented by the horizontal lines in Fig. 1, each crossing-rail of that track is made in three separate sections. The sections 11 at the left are continuations of the main line and abut against one of the continuous crossing-rails. The sections 13 at the right are also continuations of the main line and abut against the other crossing-rail 2. The sections 12 are intermediate sections relativcly interior to and abutting against bothcrossing-rails E2. \Vith railsections ii are associated a bridge-plate 14 and guardrail 15, all bolted together. \Vith sections 13 are similarly associated a bridge-plate 16 and guard-rail l7. \Vith sections 12 are associated the two bridge-plates 18 19. Bridge-plates is and 1S abut against one bridge-plate & at right angles to it, and bridge-plates l6 and 1S) abutagainst the other bridge-plate t at right angles to the same. As I prefer to slightly groove the surfaces of the bridge-plates, .I cut out the resulting flanges of the continuous plates -.t, as shown at 20 in Fig. 2, so that the passage across the intersecting bridge-plates is smooth and unobstructed. This is not necessary, of course, when flat-topped bridge-plates are used.

In order to strengthen the structure, 1 prefer to form the guard-rails 21 at the inner corners in angular form and bolt them to both crossing-rails. Then, ifconsidered necessary, additional guard-rail sections 22 are employed to make a continuous guard, as shown, such guard-rails with suitable distance-pieces 25, being bolted to the crossingrails, as shown. it should be stated also for the sake of additional strength the exterior guard-rails 5 can be angle-pieces.

The operation of the Wheels of a train passing over the horizontally-represented tracks in Fig. 1 is the same as previously described. The bridge-plates l t and 18, for instance, are so shaped as together to form an upper surface curve, like that of the continuous bridgeplate 4, and as the parts are bolted solidly together the action of the wheel-flange in gradually raising the wheel-tread clear of the track is the same as previously described.

The crossing structure can be supported in any suitable manner, as upon the ties or timbers ordinarily used. I prefer, however, to provide a metallic bed-plate 2 3 beneath each intersection, to which the crossing-rails can be secured and which is in turn secured to the said ties or timbers.

WVhen this crossing is used, trains running upon either track can pass the crossing with a smoothness and absence of jar and pounding not hitherto known, and the result is a longer life of all the metallic parts exposed to Wear that is to say, the car-wheels and the intersecting tracks.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A railway-crossing comprising tWo continuous rails, two sectional crossing-rails intersecting them at. an angle, a recess cut in each continuous rail at each intersection, said recess extending from the top down to the base of the rail, a continuous bridge-plate adjustably secured to each continuous intersection so as to bridge the recesses, a sectional bridgeplate adjustably secured to the sectional crossing-rail at each intersection and guard-rails secured to the continuous rails and the sectional crossing-rails and resting on the base portions thereof, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature, in presence of two Witnesses, this 9th day of March, 1904.

EDWARD F. MEISNER.

Witnesses:

L. W. SEELY, C. S. MIDDLETON. 

